I meant to add this photo on Monday and forgot. It’s a little bougainvillea blossom with the sun coming through. Reminds me of a Japanese lantern.
On to San Diego Wild Animal Park, or rather San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They’ve changed the name since I was there years ago. The park sits on 1800 acres and that’s what I like best about it. Zoos seem so confining. Here the animals have a lot more room to move about.
I had seen lorikeets in photos and never dreamed I’d see one in person or have one land on my head. They are so tame. Kids in the aviary loved how the birds would land on them:
You can feed the birds too, if you want.
Aren’t the colors incredible?
Of course, you’ll see lions, tigers and bears, and an elephant with her baby.
I didn’t take that many photos of the animals, because they were kind of far away and I didn’t have a zoom lens with me. Plus we were with my son and wanted to just enjoy being together.
Since it was autumn, I couldn’t resist shooting some of the trees changing color:
Finally, I don’t know the name of this little guy, but thought he looked so sweet sitting in the fading light. . . .
Hope your week’s going well so far. Valentine’s Day was especially nice this year.
{carole}
Pearls & Prose 
Lovely photos, Carole. Your unidentified little guy at the end is a dik-dik, a small antelope from Africa.
Thanks, Randy! I would have never come up with that.
I love the birds. I’ve never seen one. I’m glad the park is better these days. I went when I was a kid and it was pathetic. I think the last photo is of a Common/Grey Duiker, but I’m not positive.
Yes, it’s much nicer. I wasn’t that crazy about the place when we went in the 90s.
Sigh. To be young—there is no way I’d let a bird land on me.
I’m not really a bird person either, but these birds were so gentle.
Such lovely photos. One is prettier than the other. We are spoilt today. Once more.
Those birds have such wonderful colours. I’d love to touch them. My parents used to have birds, smaller ones. They were allowed to fly all over the apartment.
Thanks, Caroline. What kind of birds did they have?
Canary birds and budgies (is that the right name, like tiny parakeets). The cat we had at the time didn’t even care. They landed on his head.
Wow, that is one mellow cat!
I went to the San Diego Zoo years ago, but never made it to the safari park. It looks like an amazing experience. The coloring of the birds is amazing.
It’s a lot nicer now, Jackie. Wasn’t so great years ago.
Love the Wild Animal Park! Great colors on those birds!
My favorite memory of that park is my daughter feeding the giraffes – she was only 4 years old and was excited to feed them – until she saw that giant purple tongue coming at her! She came back with Daddy shaking her head and saying, “I didn’t do it guys.” Clearly disappointed in herself. But she plucked up her courage and went back in there and fed that giraffe! It was great.
What a sweet story!